


I've Had My Hopes Up, Baby

by honeydrippingbeehive



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, College, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, School, Teenagers, larry stylinson - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-03-05 01:12:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3099470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeydrippingbeehive/pseuds/honeydrippingbeehive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry moves into a village up North, and finds himself longing to be with Louis more than he should.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I've Had My Hopes Up, Baby

**Author's Note:**

> This didn't turn out how I hoped it would, but I posted it anyway. Enjoy :)

It was a cool September. The car windows were steamed up, due to everyone cramming into the small car. They had to sold the old one so they could afford the new house - which was apparently ten minutes down the road. It seemed too good to be true after the five hour car journey.

"Harry, love," a tired voice alerts him from the front seat. "You wouldn't mind walking the dog the rest of the way? It's just down this road. We're number 37 - if you stay on this road you shouldn't miss it."

"Alright, yeah." He said, because right now he didn't have the energy to argue. The fresh air should do him good, anyway. It's been a long day.

The dog was sprawled across the two seats next to him, sound asleep. He gives her a light pat on the head, before clipping her collar and leader on, and stumbled out of the car.

The sun started to fade behind the huddle of trees not far away, and after a few minutes of following the road he saw the row of houses come into view. If he's honest, spending a little longer in the outdoors seems more appealing than returning to his family; five hours stuck with them has worn him out for the day.

With that, he turned on his heel and headed for the woods on his left. It didn't seem to have a lot of depth to it, so ten minutes in and out wouldn't hurt.

 

***

 

He was wrong.

He finds himself engulfed in a forest, which clearly did have depth to it. And since it's his first time he's found himself in a situation where he can't contact anyone - he's not too sure of what to do next. He'd checked his phone for signal several times already, but with no luck.

He figured that it was probably best to just keep walking, and maybe he'd come to the edge. Forests can't go on forever, right?

 

***

 

Wrong again, it seemed.

Several minutes (or maybe hours, he couldn't be sure) later, he took his earphones out to listen for a road, perhaps. He had considered turning his music off, but the sun had gone down and his surroundings weren't exactly comforting. After using this technique - with no luck - for sometime, he wasn't expecting to hear anything. To his relief, he heard a cluster of muffled voices coming from nearby.

He turned to where he suspected the voices came from, and could just make out the burning glow of a campfire. A sigh of relief fell from his lips.

As he walked over, he began wonder who or what he was expecting to be faced with. A group of tourists, travelling through the country, maybe? Or a Sunday night camping trip for the local residents? He wouldn't be too surprised, really. When he'd visited the village a few months earlier, and realised what sort of place this was. It was like those villages in the soaps, where everyone knew each other. Where you'd end up holding three separate conversations in the span of ten minutes when you only really left the house for a bottle of milk.

He hadn't been very keen on the idea at all when his mum suggested it, almost a year ago, now. She'd always wanted to move up North, to a place like this. She'd been viewing houses and cottages online for ages - and finally plucked up the courage to move away when Gemma left for uni. She figured that they wouldn't need as much space, and when she came over she could sleep on the couch.

Harry's thoughts soon caught up with him when he was close enough to make out who these people were. They weren't local campers or tourists. Precisely the opposite - they were teenagers. Probably around his age, too. He pondered the thought of just turning away and leaving. He could probably find a road if he walked long enough. Then he'd get a signal, or he could find a-

His reasoning was cut short when he felt a pair of eyes glued to his own. He felt his own eyes widen, and he gripped onto his dogs' leader tighter. _Shit._

However, those were the only eyes who had registered his existence. The rest of the people were enveloped in conversation, sitting on logs or camping stools. The pair of blue eyes wasn't, though. He was the only one standing. His small, curvy figure was propped up against a tree, piercing blue eyes swallowing up Harry's own. His dark hair and golden skin illuminated by the fire.

He couldn't stare forever, and Harry couldn't stand there forever, either. Someone would have to act first. And since Harry couldn't stand the uncomfortable eye contact any longer, he was the one to break it. Although the blue eyes had seemed to be enjoying it, it seemed. His mouth was curved up into a smirk and his eyebrow raised. Harry made his way over, aware of more eyes beginning to spot him.

The group went silent. "What have we got here, then?" The blue eyed boy asked, breaking the silence.

"Hi- I er..." Harry suddenly remembered why he was here in the first place. "I'm a little lost."

The group began to mumble, which unnerved Harry even more.

"Hey, relax. Sit." They boy instructed, throwing over a can over beer. Harry caught it, to his own amazement. 

"Alright," He mumbled, sitting down onto the ground next to a girl. She was pale, with dark eyes and short brown hair. She gave Harry a reassuring nod. 

"Hey, you new here?"

"Yep," He replied, not sure how to respond. "I just got here. I was meant to take the dog out for a quick walk and - well I ended up here." 

She grinned. "That's not uncommon around here. Just takes a little getting used to."

It turned out her name was Marianne, and the blue eyed boy was Louis. They talked for a while, Harry picking up a few necessary facts about Louis. The most interesting - and certainly not the best was that Harry and his family were now accompanying Louis' ex girlfriends house. However, She wasn't really an ex. She had died in car crash. Harry wasn't sure Louis would be happy with the fact that he was now living there.

"Her family just had to get away, you know? They couldn't bare this place anymore." She went on, making sure her voice was hushed. "I never knew her too well, but she sometimes hung out with us. She was nice. Lou didn't talk about her much, but you could tell he liked her. She was really in love with him"

She sighed before carrying on. "But then after, you know, the accident... He changed." her eyes flickered over to him. "He built up this cold exterior, started acting all, like, tough around college. It hit him hard, I guess."

"Wow." Was all that Harry could utter, not daring to look over to Louis. "That's... awful. I can't imagine what he must have went through."

"I know. He tries not to show it now, though. He likes to keep himself hidden. I don't think he'll be himself again for a long time."

 

***

 

Harry's first few days at college went surprisingly smoothly. He didn't encounter anyone he'd seen that Sunday night (although he did find himself hopelessly looking out for Louis) and had befriended a boy called Niall on the first day. 

It was the first Thursday when he saw Louis again.

It wasn't how he'd imagined, or maybe hoped, far from it. He'd pictured the two of them bonding on the bus home, or sitting together in one of their classes, maybe.

He'd felt his body slammed against the lockers when he was about to leave. No one was around, and Louis has caught him by surprise. But somewhere; at the back of Harry's mind he'd been waiting for this to happen. After the conversation on Sunday, he had sort of expected it.

"You know, I know where you live." He uttered, not bothering to explain. He probably guessed that Harry would know by now.

"I- I didn't know, I'm sorry-"

"Don't even bother with that innocent act. You're living in the same four walls as  _my_ girlfriend. Probably sleeping in her bedroom, I reckon?"

Harry, gulped, not even sure how to react. It wasn't his fault; there was nothing he could do. 

"I don't- I don't know what to say, but I'm sorry. You- you don't deserve that, Louis. No one does. I don't want to fall out over this."

Louis' hold on Harry's shoulder loosened and he stepped back. For a second Harry thought he might have seen a hint of regret in those blue eyes, but Louis just sighed and took off down the corridor. 

 

***

 

Their second encounter was on the bus home one day. It was Harry's second week at college, and Louis would occasionally be on the same bus. He expected to see him more often; there weren't many buses which went to their village from college.

He'd noticed him at the back of the bus, sitting alone. Harry payed for his ticket, and was about sit by himself at the front when Louis' voice stopped him. 

"Harry," His voice was barely audible. "You can sit here, If you want."

He walked passed the other seats, all empty except for Louis'.

"Hi, Louis,"

"Hey,"

They'd sat in silence for a little while. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, though. Harry found himself warming up to Louis, despite the incident the week earlier. Somehow Louis looked more like the innocent one, now.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I flipped out. It's been hard for me. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." he turned to meet Louis' gaze. He looked drained.

They sat in silence the rest of the way.

***

 

In the next few weeks, they'd often make conversation. In between classes, on the bus, or sometimes by Harry's locker. He enjoyed his company, even when Louis was a little down, Harry would do his best to comfort him. Sometimes they just sat in silence. It was nice, just the two of them.

They never seemed to do more than that, though. Louis had never asked for Harry's number and it hadn't ever gone past the simple goodbyes at the end of the day. Harry found himself wanting more.

Another thing which had occurred on several occasions was meeting by the lake. There was a lake on the outskirts of the village which Harry often found himself slipping over too some nights. He wasn't the only one who did this, apparently. 

Harry would find himself telling Louis things he'd never revealed before. They'd stay out there way past midnight, just talking. 

"Harry, can I tell you something?" Louis announced one night, breaking their silence. 

"What is it, Lou?" 

"I feel guilty," He said, his breath hitching for a moment. "I feel guilty about my girlfriend. I don't know If I loved her."

"What do you mean? Don't feel guilty."

"I just... She died thinking I loved her. I didn't love her. I couldn't feel it." He almost whispered. "I wanted to tell her. I really did. I didn't know what to say, because I liked her. I liked her too much to disappoint her like that. She made me happy and stuff, but I wasn't  _attracted_ to her. I never felt anything when we fucked." Harry could sense the tears building up in Louis' eyes, and put an arm around him.

"Don't cry, Lou. It's okay," He reassured him. "Imagine if you'd broken up with her that day, Lou. She would have died unhappy. But she didn't. It's probably better that you hadn't broken up at the time, even if that meant lying to her, because she died happy."

He looked up, meeting Harry's eyes. He leaned into Harry's chest, arms hooked around his shoulders. 

They sat for a while, just like that. In comfortable silence.

"Harry-" he paused, like he was thinking something over.

"What?"

He felt Louis' weight rise from his chest, and they were now face to face, inches apart. Louis' breath was heavy. Before he could register it, Louis had leaned in and their lips had collided. Harry could taste Louis tears from earlier, but he didn't mind. He didn't mind one bit.

 

***

 

The following Friday night, Harry found himself on the bus into town with Niall. He wasn't sure why he was doing this.

Louis had ignored him all week. Harry had tried to make conversation in the corridor, but Louis would've disappeared into the crowds before Harry could get his attention. He'd sit next to him on the bus, but instead of the comfortable silence,  _their_ silence, it was replaced with bitter small talk and blunt responses.

Niall had practically forced Harry to come clubbing with him, to 'get over' Louis as he put it, even though there was never really anything there. Nothing worth noting for Louis, anyway.

Sometime after arrival, Harry lost Niall to the crowds. He didn't mind though, since the purpose of being here was to get over Louis. Harry would have to find someone in the flood of bodies dancing.

Minutes later Harry found himself dancing up against someone. He couldn't see his face, but it felt good, so he let him. Harry didn't even push him away when he started sucking bruises onto Harry's neck from behind. He was too drunk to care.

Someone else cared, though. Just when Harry had started to relax, he felt his weight shoved to the side, now alone in the crowd.

The rough, sweaty hands which gripped Harry's waist before were replaced with smooth, gentle ones. 

"No no no," He heard murmuring in his ear. He would recognise that voice anywhere. A smile replaced the frown on Harry's lips. 

The marks on Harry's neck were now being covered up by a new pair of lips.

"Mine," the voice continued, "Mine, only mine."

 

***

 

Louis soon dragged Harry out into the crisp air, clinging to his wrist.

"Harry- I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was scared, I couldn't help it but I was scared-" He gushed, tears welling up in his eyes.

Harry stopped him. "Scared of what, Lou?"

"Falling in love with you."

***

 

They made up shortly after the club incident, and decided on going home. They huddled against each other, waiting for the next bus to arrive. When they finally did get onto the bus, He fell asleep in Louis arms, drifting away from reality, kisses and "I love you's" pressed into his curls. He didn't mind the bus being stuck in traffic. He didn't mind the grumpy bus driver giving them funny looks. It didn't matter that it was past midnight, and he probably should've left hours ago. The only thing that mattered was Louis.  _His_ Louis.

 

 

 


End file.
